Veteran actor Paresh Rawal recently grabbed headlines and sparked a controversy after claiming that the concept of OMG 2 was originally his idea. He also alleged that despite it being his story, the makers made the movie without giving him credit. Following the claims, the producer of the film, Ashwin Varde, had shared a long statement rejecting Rawal’s remarks. Now, the writer-director of OMG 2, Amit Rai, has reacted to his comments.
Amit Rai reacts to Paresh Rawal’s claim
While talking to Hindustan Times, Amit Rai said, “Wo kis tathya ke adhaar pe ye keh rahe hai? First, he needs to answer this. He is merely making a claim. Kehne ko to wo kuch bhi keh sakte hai. Wo bade actor hai, I cannot go up to an actor of his stature and ask why is he saying this (On what basis is he saying this? First, he needs to answer this. He is merely making a claim. He can say anything. He is a big actor; I cannot go up to an actor of his stature and ask why he is saying this).”
Referring to OMG 2 as his child, Amit said that, as far as he remembers, he is the creator of the film, adding that he is the one who made the movie go to school and college. He went in to add, “Proof of that is the certificate from the Screenwriters Association and the stamp that is put by the person who sees the script; it has my name.”
“Ye unki vyaktigat rai ho sakti aur uska jawaab mujhe lagta hai ki unke aur production company ke beech mein, unke aur Akshay sir ke beech mein hoga. Maine film likhi hai aur bana di hai. Bohot jaldi jaag gaye hai wo,” Amit concludes.
What Paresh Rawal said
During a recent interview with Vicky Lalwani, Paresh shared that he met Amit with a story idea which went on to become OMG 2, but it was about a biker guiding a father to fight for his son, instead of a godly figure.
“I had approached Amit Rai, the director of Road to Sangam, and asked him if he was planning another film. I admire him a lot. I told him, ‘I have an idea. Let’s sit and write it.’ I told him I wasn’t a writer, but I could contribute ideas and help identify where we were going wrong because I understand screenplay to some extent. The story was about a boy who gets caught masturbating, and a video of the incident goes viral, making his life miserable. His father was a tourist guide at the Khajuraho temple. Amit suggested making him a part-time priest at the Mahakal Temple,” Paresh said.
The veteran actor added that he even approached Ajay Devgn and Salman Khan for the biker’s role, but not Akshay, since he didn’t want it to be perceived as OMG 2. Paresh further added that he was later informed by Amit that Akshay wanted to make the film and tentatively title it OMG 2.
“I told Amit that I didn’t want to go ahead with it. I repeatedly told them not to make it a franchise because it wasn’t one. But they still went ahead. I told him, ‘No. This isn’t the film I had envisioned. There is no role of God in this story.’ He tried to convince me, but I had lived with the script from the beginning. That’s why I walked away,” Paresh added.
The veteran actor went on to claim, “The saddest part is that I wasn’t even given credit for the story or the concept. My name wasn’t mentioned anywhere.”